Finding Strength in Faith Through the Holy Week Experience

As we tread the solemn path of Holy Week, we invite you to walk with us through the poignant contrasts of Palm Sunday and the ensuing days that shaped the very foundation of faith. In the latest episode of Resilient Faith, we'll unravel the complexities of trust, particularly during Lent, and the challenge of keeping faith amid life's inevitable uncertainties. Prepare to experience a journey through the key moments of Holy Week, as we take you from the jubilation of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem to the introspective reflection brought upon by His suffering and crucifixion. Together, we'll share a prayer and extend an open invitation to participate in the upcoming services at Brentwood Presbyterian Church, fostering a space for continuous spiritual growth and resilience.

Amidst the trials we face, the strength of our faith is often tested. This episode of Resilient Faith is more than just a recount of biblical events; it's an exploration of how unwavering belief serves as an anchor in believers' lives, through prosperity and adversity alike. Delve  into Brentwood Presbyterian Church's dedication to nurturing a resilient community in West Los Angeles, reinforcing faith's role as a sustaining force. We discuss the importance of connection in these trying times and invite you to join the conversation through our social media platforms. This Holy Week, allow the Resilient Faith podcast to guide you in cultivating a faith robust enough to weather life's storms and emerge steadfast and hopeful.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to Resilient Faith, the podcast.
Opportunities to find deeperresilience within ourselves can
come when life seems mostchallenging.
This podcast is to help youdevelop that resilience and
connection with God.
Being resilient and havingpower starts with faith.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Welcome to another episode of the Resilient Faith
podcast.
I'm Laura East, the AssociatePastor at Brentwood Presbyterian
Church, and here we are, myfriends, in Holy Week.
So to set the stage for HolyWeek, this most sacred week in
the Christian year, I'm going toread from the Gospel of Matthew

(01:12):
, starting at the beginning ofchapter 21.
This is considered Jesus'triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
So hear these words from theGospel of Matthew.
When they had come nearJerusalem and had reached
Bethpage at the Mount of Olives,jesus sent two disciples saying

(01:37):
to them Go into the villageahead of you and immediately you
will find a donkey tied and acolt with her.
Untie them and bring them to me.
If anyone says anything to you,just say this the Lord needs

(01:58):
them and he will send themimmediately.
This took place to fulfill whathad been spoken through the
prophet Tell the daughter ofZion Look, your king is coming
to you, humble and mounted on adonkey and on a colt, the foal
of a donkey.
The disciples went and did asJesus had directed them.
They brought the donkey and thecolt and put their cloaks on

(02:21):
them and he sat on them.
A very large crowd spread theircloaks on the road and others
cut branches from the trees andspread them on the road.
The crowds that went ahead ofhim and that followed were
shouting Hosanna to the Son ofDavid.
Blessed is the one who comes inthe name of the Lord Hosanna in

(02:42):
the highest heaven.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem,the whole city was in turmoil
asking who is this?
The crowds were saying this isthe prophet Jesus from Nazareth
in Galilee.

(03:03):
Palm Sunday can also beconsidered Passion Sunday, when
we choose to read past thisjoyful procession at the
beginning of Matthew 21 and gomore into how the week unfolds,
it is, by design, a day of dramaand paradox, of triumph and

(03:28):
tragedy.
Jesus processes into Jerusalemlike royalty, but by the end of
the week it's a different story.
Of course, we now, today in theyear 2024, have the benefit of

(03:48):
knowing how the story ends.
In fact, many of us have heardthis story since our infancy.
But of course, the peopleliving through this experience
2000 years ago had no idea whatwas to come and how the week

(04:10):
would unfold.
This Lenten season at church atBrentwood Presbyterian, we have
been talking about trust and Ihonestly wonder if one of the
challenges of hearing this storytoday is that we know how it
ends.
So it can make it an all tooeasy example of trusting God to

(04:34):
turn death into life, but thereality for so many of us is
that can be so much harder forus, here and now, in the context
of our own lives.
Trusting in God's presence withus or trusting in God with our
hearts, our minds, our lives,our church, our world this is a

(05:01):
part of the great mystery of ourfaith.
We know how it turns out forJesus, but we don't know how it
turns out in our own lives.
We don't know what today holds,or tomorrow or the day after
that, or even how these yearswill unfold.
We know that bad things happenevery day and we get scared.

(05:27):
We get scared and we are afraidthat the darkness will triumph,
that darkness will have thefinal word.
Disappointment is a reality.
Devastation seems to unfoldwith each new day.
The grave is real and yet coreto our faith, foundational to

(06:02):
our Christian theology, is thatthe grave doesn't have the final
word.
That's not to say thateverything will turn out the way
that we want it to turn out.
Our lived experience teaches usthat it does mean that we can
trust in a loving God who caresabout us and cares about our
lives and calls us to care aboutone another.
It means that we can trust thatGod is ever-present.

(06:25):
We can trust that God has gonebefore us in the life of Christ
to experience what we experienceand feel what we feel.
We can trust that God conquersthe grave.
We can trust that God isworking through us and our lives

(06:47):
to bring about new life.
So, as the story of Christ'spassion unfolds this week, from
Palm Sunday into Maundy Thursday, into Good Friday, into Holy
Saturday, into Easter, we cantrust that God is present with

(07:17):
us through this story andthrough the story of our lives.
Now it's important for us notto skip from the Hosanna of Palm
Sunday straight to theHallelujah of Easter morning.
If you just go from one Sundayto the next, you're just getting

(07:39):
up one parade to another parade.
You're missing the meat that's.
In the middle of this week, asthe story of Christ's passion
unfolds, the shouts of praiseturn into demands for his death.
Through this week, jesus ishanded over to be mocked,

(08:00):
tortured and killed.
The crown he receives is one ofthorns.
We acknowledge the fullness ofthe paradox of Palm Sunday to
insist that we not avoid thecross.
God's way of glory leadsthrough the grave.

(08:20):
So, friends, as we enter intothis holy week indeed, we are in
its midst, it is happening.
Indeed, we are in its midst, itis happening Let us pray

(08:46):
together as we pause toacknowledge this sacred week.
Eternal God, whose wordsilences the shouts of the
mighty quiet within us, everyvoice but your own Speak to us
through the suffering and deathof Jesus, that we may receive
grace and that we may showChrist's love in lives that are

(09:11):
given to your service.
Amen, beloveds.
I pray that you are blessed.
This holy week.
We're having service atbrentwood presbyterian church on
thursday night at seven o'clock, a monday thursday service.
It will also be live streamedfor those who can't make it in

(09:33):
person.
And then, friday night, we willbe at pacific palisades
presbyterian church, also atseven oclock, and that service
will also be live streamed, soyou can catch either or both of
those services.
Of course.
I encourage you to come to bothon Thursday night and Friday
night.
And then, of course, join usfor Easter morning.

(09:56):
We'll have two services, one at9 and one at 11.
And those will be live-streamedas well.
Beloveds, be blessed this HolyWeek.
I encourage us, no matter howuncomfortable and challenging it
is, to walk with Jesus throughthe fullness of this week,

(10:19):
indeed even to the grave,because we trust that God goes
with us to the grave.
We trust that God goes with usinto the deepest, darkest
moments of our lives and in andstill is still able to redeem

(10:43):
all things, is still at work tomake all things new, to bring
about new life, indeed even tobring life out of death.
And when we have the choice,when we have the power, that we
will also choose life in theface of death, that we will lean

(11:04):
into the light, even as we, inall of our lives, have to go
through times of darkness, thatwe trust that it is not the end
for us.
Blessings to one and all myfriends.
May it be so amen.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
You've been listening to resilient faith.
The podcast resilient faith issponsored by Brentwood
Presbyterian Church in West LosAngeles.
You can follow our church andthis podcast on Facebook at BPC
Team and Instagram at BPCunderscore USA.

(11:52):
Make sure to subscribe on yourfavorite podcast platform and
thanks for listening.